Catch WMP I have been collecting music using Windows Media Player to copy from CDs. When I needed to reformat my hard drive, I copied all my files to CD-R, re-installed my operating system and copied them back, only to find my music would not play. Rowan Burgess

Jack Schofield replies: Microsoft's web site says: "By default, Windows Media Player [7.x] is configured to protect content that is copied from a CD to your computer from unauthorized use by using Personal Rights Management. When this feature is enabled, each track that is copied to your computer is a licensed file that cannot be played on any other computer unless you backup and restore your licenses on the other computer."

Reformatting the hard drive has made your PC, in effect, a different computer. Since you did not back up and restore your licenses, there is no obvious way to play the protected files. However, Michael Aldridge, lead product manager in the Windows Digital Media Division at Microsoft in Seattle, says: "There is still a way to get these licenses back and it is pretty easy using our Personal License Migration Service (PLMS), [which] was designed to address the exact situation you outline. The customer just has to be connected to the internet, then they can automatically restore their licenses just by playing the music files in question.

Windows Media Player will recognise that the music had a license and will go out on the web and update their music files with new licenses. All this service does is note these files once had a license and provides a new one. No internet connection is required for playback after that. "If the reader is connected to the internet and this is still not working, it is most likely because they created their music collection with an earlier version of Windows Media Player (7.0) and then upgraded on top of that collection. We did anticipate this scenario and developed a tool to help them update their licenses: the Personal License Update Utility. This must be run before they upgrade their system or transfer their music files to a new PC.

If they don't use this utility they will need to re-create (re-copy) their music CDs into their music library on their PC. Find out more information about this process at www.microsoft.com/ "You can also choose to turn off copy protection when you create your music collection, which can be done easily in any version of [WMP7.x or later].

When you first run Windows Media Player, it will ask if you want to keep copy protection on, and you can turn it off if you wish. If you missed that dialog box, it is still easy to turn off copy protection by going into the Tools|Options menu. Click on the Copy Music tab, and under Copy Settings, uncheck the 'Protect Content' box. In previous versions, this box was called the 'Enable Per sonal Rights Management' check box." Turning off copy protection would seem the best idea.

Hang up I keep forgetting to close my internet connection, and consequently remain attached to my ISP for hours doing nothing but run up a phone bill. Reg Bauckham

JS: Go to the Dial Up Networking folder (in Start| Settings|Control Panel), right-click the icon for your ISP, and choose Properties. Click the Dialog tab on the right. Enable the box that says "Disconnect if idle for [ ] minutes" and type in a number, such as 20 minutes. Also, in the Control Panel, double-click the Modem icon, select Properties and click on the Connection tab. Under Call preferences, check the box that says "Disconnect a call if idle for more than [ ] minutes". Again, type in the number you want. Alas, neither of these can be relied on to work. For example, you may be connected to a site that repeatedly exchanges information with your PC for security purposes. Or you may be using a free program that fetches advertising banners. Or your PC may be checking for email, updated software, or whatever. Although you may know nothing about these tasks, they will keep your connection alive, so the automatic disconnection time-out is never invoked. Try using a program such as Rat Software's Internet Timer as a reminder. You could try a hardware solution such as the UK-invented TIC (Timed Internet Connection), which costs £29.99 plus post and packing from www.timedinternet.freeserve.co.uk. But the best idea is a flat rate internet connection that lets you stay on as long as you like.

Name domain How do I get a .name email address, and does it work with any ISP I choose?Eugene Uys

JS: The .name domain has been devised for personal users, and is backed by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICann). Read about it and check the availability of the eugene.uys.name at the Global Name Registry. GNR does not sell names itself, but it has a list of "official providers". In other respects, .name addresses work the same as .com addresses. One alternative in the UK is .me.uk, launched in January by Britain's domain registry, ( Nominet. This is a subdomain of the .uk domain, which is equivalent to .us in the US. You can register your name with Nominet but it is better to shop around: Nominet charges £80, but it only charges a domain name supplier £5 to register a name for you. You are not obliged to register. If you do, you are not obliged to register your legal name. Registering a domain name is like buying a car numberplate: it doesn't get you anywhere. You also need the name hosting, plus services such as mail forwarding, a mail account, Web space etc.

Backchat ·Forward America has confirmed that it is happy to forward email from AOL UK mailboxes as well as American ones. However, this paid-for service forwards email by logging on to your live mailbox, which may be chargeable. It does not forward email after you have left AOL, which AOL ought to do.

· Nikko Irrelevant (sic) points out that in last week's Working the Web, I mistakenly described the link to Ntlhellworld as NTL Hell, which is a different site. Sorry.